I am studying the information seeking
behaviour of adults who are researching their
genealogy, in particular their Irish ancestry,
in their leisure time. To understand the
information world of amateur genealogists, this
study explores the interpersonal networking of
this group and the extension of their social
networks to other areas of their lives, such as
lifelong learning.

This study is scheduled to last four
years and involves two phases of gathering
information from genealogists about their
research, first through the Internet and in
telephone interviews, and then in more
traditional information environments, such as
family record centres. It is hoped that the
proposed project will not only increase our
understanding of the information world of
amateur genealogists investigating their Irish
ancestry, but also improve our knowledge of the
connections between this hobby and the potential
for lifelong learning.

This is the first phase of this
study.If you agree to participate, you will be
asked to post your comments to an electronic
discussion forum, available through this web
site. A random selection of participants in this
discussion will then be contacted to participate
in a telephone interview. Interviews will be
audio-recorded.

University College Dublin and those
conducting this study subscribe to the ethical
conduct of research and to the protection at all
times of the interests, comfort, and safety of
participants.Participation in this study is
voluntary.You may refuse to participate; you may
also refuse to answer any questions or withdraw
from the study at any time. There are no known
physical or psychological effects associated
with this study.All
personal information about participants will
kept confidential; this information will be
destroyed after the completion of the study. The
information gathered in this study will be used
in my research results; however, I will not
identify you in any ensuing publication of my
work.

At the end of the study, I will send you
a summary of the results of this research.
Should you have any questions about the study,
please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you
for your interest in this research.